This post was updated on 05/24/16 to add more information.

Well, it’s that time of year again. We are coming up on the summer months which means sunshine, picnics, barbecues, vacations, and more are in your near future! Whether you have a summer packed full of plans or you are just looking forward to the nice weather and spending time with friends and family, it’s easy to see why summer is a lot of people’s favorite time of year.

Here’s the deal:

There is nothing more refreshing than waking up after a full night’s rest. However, when diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), you may not have the same experience. But you’re not alone.

In fact, up to 50% of people diagnosed with COPD report experiencing some level of insomnia. Such as sleep disruptions, trouble sleeping well throughout the night, or difficulty falling asleep.

Successfully treating and managing your COPD is like playing a game of chess. You aim to stay 3 steps ahead of the disease at all times, but there’s always a chance that your opponent, COPD, has a trick move up its sleeve.

Because there is no cure for the disease, the goal of treating COPD is to manage your symptoms and to maintain or improve your quality of life.

Going throughout your day or being abruptly woken from a deep sleep due to dry mouth, is something that doesn’t get much attention, but it affects a large portion of patients with COPD on a regular basis.

Dry mouth (xerostomia) is a condition that causes your mouth to feel parched of all moisture. Often times making it difficult to swallow, taste, or chew food.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is not an easy disease to manage, as you may already know. The numerous symptoms that limit your ability to do things, the wide array of commonly linked diseases and illnesses, and thinking about life before your diagnosis all contribute to the difficulties you may have managing your disease.

Everyone faces some level of stress during their day to day life, stress is just a part of life. However, when diagnosed with a chronic lung disease like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the effects of stress on the body are worsened. Due to breathlessness, fatigue, the development of a lung infection, or the rise of new or worsening symptoms as the results of an exacerbation (flare up). COPD patients have more than 3 times the odds of developing generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) than someone without COPD.

This post originally appeared on blog.COPDstore.com you can view the original article here.

Tax time is upon us again. It seems that tax burden is going up every year and refunds area getting smaller and smaller. But, according to the IRS, a large percentage of allowable deductions go unclaimed every year.

If you feel like a little light reading before bed time you can review the 2015 US tax code to make sure you’re getting everything you are entitled to.

It’s only 74,608 pages! IRS Section 502 which pertains to medical deductions is only 27 pages but we’ve hit some of the highlights here for you so you can ask your tax professional about them.

These numbers change over time but generally speaking you should be able to write off 20% of medical expenses over $2120 if your taxable income is $84,000 or less.

This is a guest post written by Nutritional Therapy Practitioner Kellie Hill of The Right Plan Nutrition Counseling. 

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) affects an estimated 24 million individuals in the United States. Common symptoms include increased breathlessness, frequent coughing, wheezing and tightness in the chest.

Some of you may remember Larry’s story from last Christmas.  This 911 dispatcher called for help and 1^st Class Medical answered.  Larry’s insurance company had given him a portable oxygen concentrator to use but then said they had sent it in error and demanded that he send it back. 

Without a portable unit to use, Larry would likely have had to quit his job and, as a single dad, wasn’t sure how he would support his son. 

In order for Larry to continue the important job he does, we provided him with a stationary, AirSep Visionaire to use while at work and a SeQual Eclipse to use when he was on the go. 

Respironics, one of the leading manufacturers of oxygen concentrators, is at it again! This time with their brand new, 5 pound portable oxygen concentrator the Respironics SimplyGo Mini. As the latest innovation from Respironics, the SimplyGo Mini has been turning heads since it was debuted at Medtrade in the spring. In fact, it won best new portable oxygen concentrator at the HME 2015 conference this past October.